Harry Potter and the Average Wizarding Life
by AkweteOokami
Summary: Wizarding Britain reforms its opinions of Creatures. In the midst of the political revolution, a young girl is thrust into her first year of Hogwarts, and must learn quickly if she wants to be a Witch. Set Post-HP books, this work of fiction seeks to uncover the rarely mentioned social etiquette of wizards, and explore the even rarer views on Creatures & Inheritances. Long, WIP.
1. Prologue

**The Life and Memoirs of Marie Erhert**

AKA **Harry Potter and the Average Wizarding Life**

A Magical Prologue

Harry sighed and rubbed at his forehead. "Listen, Luna, there's got to be a way to get this through the Wizengamot, but I really don't know that—," he started, only to pause as Luna jumped through the fireplace, instead of remaining as a simple head in the flames.

"Oh, Harry, it's brilliant, don't you think? Surely they'll recognize that Creatures need more recognition and better living conditions, and that the Statuses of most of the Creatures are outdated, from years when they weren't tamed—,"

"But they don't want to change things, Luna! Don't you see?" Harry pressed. "The only way to get them to revise the status of Creatures in our society is to make them think it's to their benefit. Even if you tell them as the Head of the Magical Creatures Department… Even then, any of them can and will be bought to keep the Purebloods happy if they don't believe the government will either be more powerful, more stable, or just better, somehow."

"So how do we do that?" Luna asked, deflating slightly.

"Well, I have a few ideas… and one of them involves talking to a certain Dragon."

"A… dragon? Are you talking about one of Charlie's, in Romania?"

"Hardly as far away as that, Luna. He's blonde, has remnants of a foul temper, and is nicknamed 'Ferret'… ringing any bells?"

Luna simply smiled and watched as Harry, no longer an adolescent, but a father and a man of thirty-nine years, contacted Lord Draco Malfoy in his manor using the private Floo-call only Harry knew about.

Three weeks later, on the 23rd of August, the Wizengamot put to a vote the new act concerning Creatures and those receiving Creature Inheritances. Wizards and Witches all over Magical Britain were waiting, listening to Lee Jordan's All-The-Know professional radio station for the announcement of the success or failure of the Creature Status Revision Act of 2019. Many Purebloods were hoping to see it fail, but a surprising amount wanted to see it passed; and more than half of Wizarding Britain's muggle-born inhabitants were a bit nonplussed at all the fuss.

To Luna's glee and Harry's relief, not to mention that of Hermione or even Draco (considering that his family had Creature blood, and he was inclined to believe that his children may Inherit) the act was passed, as well as one that introduced a new mandatory class to Magical education curriculum, an introductory course for those born into muggle families. Many houses held miniature celebrations that day… and one only slightly informed witch new to the Magical side of things, while missing quite a bit of information, figured that it was probably for the best and went back to the puzzle of figuring out how to get into Diagon Alley to buy her things before school started… after all, not everyone is special enough to have a half-giant visit on their birthday to get things sorted for them.

* * *

Marie stood in the musty old shop with wide eyes, a bit surprised at all the fuss. An elderly man, one that looked like things had gotten to him, smiled kindly at her and said, "Ah. Let me measure you for your first wand, then," he murmured, and cast a spell which set a measuring tape to see her size, which would help inform the size of her wand. "What's your name, dear?"

"I'm Marie Erhert," she said shyly. "What's yours?"

"I am Garrick Ollivander, at your service," he murmured thoughtfully. "Yes, I believe I know your wand. It's been waiting for a while." He retrieved a shiny black box from the shelves and opened it to reveal a cedar wand with a small spherical bulb at the end for easy gripping. "Twelve inches, Cedar, Unicorn hair and Cedar, flexible but sturdy. Give it a flick, and it'll either do nothing, cause havoc, or perform a burst of beneficial or flashy magic to show if it has chosen."

Marie took the wand and flicked it gently, shooting a shower of small purple sparks out from the tip.

"Yes, yes. It likes you, this one, thinks you'll be a good match for it."

"Likes me, sir?"

"Yes. The wand chooses the wizard... or the witch. Always have, always will."

"How are they made, Sir?"

"That's for you to find out if you ever choose this road, young one, but it's a rough one and is rarely understood."

"Well, it sounds interesting at least, sir. Thank you for helping me find mine."

"You're welcome, child. Miss Erhert?"

"Yes. How much is it?"

Marie gently ran her fingers up and down her wand, ignoring her mother and the shopkeeper to whisper to the wand that she was thankful it had picked her, and that she hoped they would do well together. Ollivander noticed this, but said nothing, and soon it was taken back and packaged, waiting until her time at Hogwarts would allow her to use it.

* * *

"Marie, aren't you forgetting something?" Her mother asked kindly, smiling at the young girl's impatience.

"Oh, mama, if it weren't for you I'd leave my head behind. What've I forgotten now?" Marie questioned, stuffing things at random into a semi-modern trunk she'd been gifted for the occasion. Her mother was a Witch at one point and knew what her daughter would need because of it, although when she turned eighteen she'd dropped out of school, broken her wand, and 'became' a muggle to escape Voldemort's wrath. Her father was a Lawyer, and her mother was a housewife and part-time babysitter. They made a decent income, although the conversion rates from dollars to galleons was pretty steep. When Marie had gotten letters from several different Wizarding schools on her latest birthday, her mother had insisted that she attend Hogwarts as she had gone there. Marie trusted her judgement, and so flights to Britain had been made. That alone took a sizeable chunk out of their income, let alone that Father wouldn't be able to work for a few weeks until he finished taking a special test to see that his qualifications were up-to-date and to British standards. Luckily they had a decent amount saved up, but it had been kept quiet that Marie was indirectly causing a good deal of stress on the family. Between buying a flat, converting enough money to buy Marie's school things, and taking the Government test to continue working, it had taken more than half of their savings, which they were going to be living on for a while.

"You're forgetting to sit back and relax. Go have fun with da, then. I'll take care of packing for you, and that way you won't be quite so nervous when you get on the train. I'd rather have you relaxed and able to make friends than worried you've forgotten to pack something important."

Marie smiled wanly, hugged her ma something fierce, and kissed her on the cheek before thanking her and heading out to spend some much-needed quality time with her father.

"Look at you," her da said, ruffling her dark hair lightly. "I don't know why you ruined these lovely locks of yours."

She cringed a little and stroked her softly curled hair. She'd dyed it in an act of rebellion a few weeks ago and had accidentally used permanent instead of semi-permanent dye.

"Well, at least I'll look unique," She quipped bravely, and he smiled. "Well, I suppose you will at that. Not many eleven year olds have purple hair, I'll tell you that much. It probably helps that it's almost black— people might not notice it's purple unless they want to pay attention to you, in which case they're either being friendly or they've already chosen to be rude. And you know what to do if they're rude, right?"

Marie smirked. "Give 'em what-for—tell 'em how it is, and make them look like the insecure bullies they are. But in a nice way, of course," she amended, seeing her father's eyebrows rise.

"Well, you'll want to be careful about that, won't you?"

She grinned and produced a set of playing cards with odd pictures on them instead of numbers.

"Let's do our Tarot readings, Da!"

Checking his watch, her father smiled and agreed, although he did make sure to mention they had to leave for the train soon, so if she wanted anything in specific to eat on the train she'd better say so now so her Ma could make it for her, and that they had Family Time before that, too.

"The Magician... Judgement... The Tower... The World... Wheel of Fortune... and The Heirophant," Marie murmured as she flipped the cards over one by one.

"So you're a magical judge that's on top of the world and chooses fates for centaurs bearing Illuminati hand symbols?" her Da joked conspiratorially.

"Nooo, Da. It more or less means I've got luck on my side if I start new enterprises, and that I've got purpose. I'm a bit unlucky in other places, I've got a new start, and I'll have trouble coming home. I've got people on my side if I need help, though!"

"That you do," Da replied. "That you do. Now come on, it's Family Time... after a glass of grape juice. Apparently your mama's scraped together some good luck or something and plans to put it in your juice- humour her, will you?"

He wasn't the only one shocked when the once-witch poured golden luck into Marie's juice, literally... after consulting a small book titled '_Potions and Muggle items_' by one Hermione Weasley, who had apparently become a surprisingly good Potions master (among other things) in the last few years, according to the back cover.

"It's illegal for competitions in the Wizarding world," her Ma said, "But I've had it squirrelled away for years and never needed it. It'll at least help make sure that you don't do anything you think will embarrass you when you're making your first impressions. I've left a few drops in the bottle and packed it in your trunk so you have a little left over in case of emergency, like you've done something foolish. I know I did! But you aren't to use it in case it's necessary, alright dear?"

"Yes, Ma!" Marie promised, before taking a few hesitant sips of the potion-laced juice. To her surprise, it tasted pretty good... and it slowly filled her with a sense that today, of all days, nothing could go wrong. She distantly wished that she felt like this everyday, but then, almost without her consent, she stood up and made to start getting her things together. "I'm sorry to go without Family Time today, when we need it most, but I have a horrid nagging feeling that there's something else to be done, now. Can we leave, please?"

Her ma smiled wistfully and nodded. "Alright, get the car ready. We'll spend Family Time together on the way there. If you're getting that feeling- well, trust it. Today, anyway. That's the potion giving you luck, making sure you're where you ought to be to have things turn out the best they can for you. I hope you've got luck all through your days at school, love."

A few moments later, they were off to the station nearby, a stop far closer to Hogwarts than they knew, watching with nibbled lower lips as their daughter bravely ran face-first into a solid pillar and disappeared.


	2. It Takes All Sorts

**Chapter 1:**

**It Takes All Sorts**

As soon as she slipped through the pillar in the station, she was awash in an overwhelming sea of people; but she wasn't afraid. Instead, she felt like she knew just where she was going. She headed into an empty compartment and sat down purposefully, and one by one some other children trickled in, seemingly unsurprised to see others there, as though it was normal, and probably it was.

It was turning into an odd, but beautiful train ride. Watching the scenery whiz by was breathtaking, and Marie loved the way the air from the open window smelled. Soon, though, her stomach growled; a few minutes later, they were busily munching on snacks from the nice lady selling them off the trolley.

"I've never seen a frog like this before," Marie exclaimed excitedly. "Oh, but I won't hurt it if I eat it, will I?" She asked. One of the other children had caught it for her, and smiled at her naivety.

"Naw," one of them replied. "Enchantment wears off, 'bout one good jump 'n' they go still again."

Marie watched in fascination as it slowly stopped wriggling and hesitantly broke off a limb to nibble on. She had gotten a Wizard Card with it, and it showed Harry Potter for a split second. She watched in fascination as he walked out of the picture, but didn't bring attention to it, figuring it must be normal.

"So, _I'm_ on my way back for my second year," a young boy with gold trim on his robes. "My ma's a witch, she said nothing but Gryffindor'd do."

"Well, _my_ da is Harry Potter, and I'm proud to be in Slytherin anyway!" Another said fiercely, with green and silver trim on his robes.

"My parents are both muggles," Marie stated primly, with a hint of sarcastic sass (for she was unaware that her mother was a witch), "And they say that I shouldn't worry about houses, only who I am. That's _far _more important than being concerned what people in other houses will think of us. After all, we're only eleven—and twelve," she added for the benefit of the second-years. "We have plenty of time to worry about that when we're older."

"But everyone knows Slytherins are evil," one of the girls protested vehemently.

"So," Marie broke in before poor Albus could get too upset. "Out of Albus and—what was your name, Stanley, right? Okay, good, out of Albus and Stanley, who's stupid?"

The girl, later identified as Rachel, automatically said Albus and stuck out her tongue.

"Why?" Marie pressed.

"Well, Ravenclaws are the smart ones, but even a Gryffindor is smarter than a Slytherin!"

Marie rolled her eyes. "See? You don't know anything. Just because they're in a certain group doesn't say anything about their intelligence! I'll have you know that Albus seems a lot smarter than you—at least he doesn't go around calling people names and making enemies before the school year has even started!"

Rachel got up and left the compartment, which Marie thought was a strange name, almost as though they were in a trunk, and when she was gone Marie laughed. Amy, the other first year, Albus, and Stanley smiled a bit more freely with the obvious discrimination cleared away.

"Pass me one of those funny colored things," Marie asked without really asking, "I want to taste some more of these weird magic treats. Do these explode or something?"

Amy laughed as Marie chomped on a brownish-purple one and her face scrunched up.

"No! They just taste like anything."

Marie gingerly swallowed, coughed, and drank some pumpkin juice, which she promptly found out she didn't like.

"I think I just ate rust," she complained faintly. "Don't they have any WD-40 around here?"

Her new friends stared at her blankly, and Marie wished for a sane group that knew obvious things about life in the non-magical world. Well, they were friendly at least, so they'd have to do.

* * *

Surprisingly, despite knowing nothing about Muggle life, they were interesting (well, Amy and Stanley were; Albus had to leave because his best friend Scorpius wanted him to come sit with their friends). At the next stop on their way to Hogwarts, another boy joined them. He was also a first year, and his name was Gladys; he was quite insecure about it, and the trio greeted him warmly and didn't draw attention to his name.

Marie was content; she had three new friends, and all of them had promised to stay friends no matter what house they were in, and then Amy sighed heavily.

"What's wrong, Amy?" Marie asked, her voice soft.

"Well, we don't have any way to really make sure we'll stay friends, do we? I mean, maybe if we could make sure we spent time together at least once every two weeks…"

Marie considered this. "You're right, there's no real way to make sure," she agreed, "But isn't that a part of all friendships? Trusting them to be loyal and show up?"

"Yes," Gladys intercepted, "For people that don't have magic. Sometimes it's better that way. But with Hogwarts, most people that want to make sure they don't drift use a very low-level Vow. At least, that's what my sister said, and she's in her fourth year and hardly ever lies."

"What's a Vow?"

"Well," said Stanley, "A Vow is when you make promises with a certain kind of intent; you will your magic to make you uphold it and use words that help your magical core identify what kind of promise you're making and what will happen if you don't do it. Unbreakables kill you if you go against it willingly, but lower levels only compel you to think about it or, if it's a little stronger, give you urges to do what you promised to. I was thinking halfway between those lower two, making you think about it if you haven't done it in a week, and giving you urges to do it if you haven't done in two weeks."

Marie considered it, and nodded. "Works for me. We can meet up after the Sorting to figure out where we'll meet first, and when we know the school a bit better we can decide on a permanent meeting place, yeah?"

"Okay," Stanley said, smiling. "Everybody put your wand hand out," he said.

Marie put out her right hand, and Stanley showed them how to clasp their hands together so that all four of them were touching each other's hands.

"Now, repeat as I say exactly, alright? I don't want anyone to make any alterations in case it ends up making it harder on them," he said seriously. "Focus on your magic, imagine it rising up into your hand, focus on each person as you say their name to avoid getting the wrong person with the same name, and then say," and he took a deep breath, gaining an almost ethereal quality to his voice as he intoned, "I, Stanley Millert, promise on my magic, on my thoughts, to spend at least an hour every seven days with Marie Erhert, Gladys MacKenzie, and Amy Branwin."

Marie watched as a light blue glow softly illuminated Amy's skin.

Gladys repeated the vow, using the proper names, and glowed faintly with green. Amy did the same and began glowing with white. Marie cleared her throat, suddenly at a loss for words, but the gentle, playful influence of Felix, as her ma had called it, spoke for her.

"I, Marie Erhert, promise on my magic, on my thoughts, and on my luck, to spend at least an hour a week with my familiars Amy Branwin, Gladys MacKenzie, and Stanley Millert."

She began to glow a soft purple, and the colors mixed together in a way that should have blended into white light, but didn't, and when it went away, the others were staring at her with an almost frightened look.

"You said you were Muggleborn," Amy accused.

"I am, I'm sorry, it just… felt right. My mom gave me some luck earlier, so I went with my gut. What did I do to it?"

"You made us your Familiars... I think! I didn't even know that could happen, especially not with a first-year! Then again, we did make a vow, and really we shouldn't even have been trying that..."

"What does that mean?" Marie asked, confused.

"It means that ... well, I'm not sure, but it isn't a good thing," Stanley told her, "Especially since all animal familiars have to be registered."

"We aren't animals," she reminded him smugly.

"Human ones ... I didn't even know they existed," Amy murmured.

"We'll just have to keep it quiet… and hope we don't get into too much trouble!"

* * *

When the train stopped at Hogwarts, they had more or less forgotten about their troubles in the face of the castle's brilliance. They chose to sit in a boat together, and watched with wide eyes as they glided across the silent, still black water, reflecting the night sky as though they floated among the stars themselves.

An elderly looking, but strong, woman with a Scottish accent met them at the top of a set of stairs. She introduced herself as Headmistress McGonagall, and that they were to refer to her and her colleagues as 'Professor'. She was brief but efficient in explaining the rules and what they should expect, and asked if anyone had any questions. One first year asked if there were ghosts, and at that moment a few of them popped through the wall and entertained a few children, causing surprised and nervous laughter.

"Anyone else? If you have questions, now is the time," Professor McGonagall reiterated.

"How do you know which House is right for you? I know that it's chosen for you, but your thoughts are taken into account; I don't care for the 'this house is better than this house' nonsense, but I don't want one that's wrong for me."

The Headmistress glanced at Marie sharply, clearing her throat. "Trust the Hat," she advised, "For it can see who you are, possibly better than you can. However, if you don't want to be known for a certain facet of your personality—or wish to avoid people with it—then listen to the Hat and think to it about what you want more. Not everyone gets as much choice—after all, there are some who would only do well in a certain House, and to ensure their happiness and that they fit in, the Hat chooses for them—but the Hat will listen before it sorts you regardless of its own wisdom and makes its choice accordingly."

Marie nodded and thanked her for the advice and, with no further questions asked, they were lead into a great, wide open dining hall that had almost decorative cracks in the walls. There were a few floating candles in strategic areas, enough to light the hall properly without wax dripping on anyone. The ceiling was faintly overlaid with the outdoor sky, and someone near them whispered that ever since the last Battle it hadn't been the same, that the new charm hadn't been the same because the original charm had been cast by a very powerful wizard, the likes of which hadn't been seen in centuries.

As they shuffled forward to pool in the entrance of the Great Hall, chattering rose around them. There were four great tables, each in the shape of a quarter-circle. They were each about three feet apart and formed a circle in the middle of the hall, and were arranged so that the staff table was visible from every available seat so long as some were willing to turn their head and upper body a little. In each corner of the hall, for each respective table was a flag; one was a Raven embossed on light and dark blue, one was a badger on a yellow and black background; one was a lion roaring out from a sea of red and gold, and another was a snake that seemed to slither out of a green and silver atmostphere. These, Marie realized, were the House Crests; respectively, they formed Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, Gryffindor, and Slytherin.

"I hope I don't go first," Amy fretted. "I'm likely to, with my last name being Branwin. But I really hope I don't. The pressure…"

Marie gave Amy's hand a gentle squeeze. "It's alright. We're here," she whispered back.

Professor McGonagall called out loudly, getting everyone's attention and reducing the chatter from the Houses to a much quieter, almost silent buzz.

"Now, if we have everyone's attention, the Hat would like to say a few words before the Sorting."

As she said this, she brought a stool out onto a small platform in the middle of the House Tables. On top of it sat a Hat, a patchy old thing that looked quite sad, or at least Marie thought so. As it was placed on the stool, it slowly twitched into something seeming like life, the folds in the material becoming what looked to be eyes and a mouth, which promptly opened to sing.

"_Another year has come again,_

_And yes, I know it's been a while._

_Your minds are fresh, your eyes are sharp, my friend_

_So I'll serve you with a smile._

_Some time ago, I told you true_

_In words much more subtle and sly,_

_And now the foot's in the other shoe_

_For while you're together, you don't seem to know why_

_Let me poke around a bit_

_Inside that young brain_

_Upon this stool I beg you sit_

_And see where your loyalties have lain_

_Before the year is done,_

_Hogwarts will decide_

_Whether you were just here to have fun,_

_Or if you'll stay on the Wizarding side."_

The hall was absolutely silent as these words escaped the musty old hat, and the Headmistress had to clear her throat to give herself time to figure out how to react.

"Yes, well," she said, "On with the sorting."

Professor McGonagall produced a long scroll and read over the first few names.

"William Amert?"

When he stepped forward and raised his hand shyly, she directed him to sit on the stool. She placed the Sorting Hat on his head, and shortly it cried out that he should be in Gryffindor. When he shyly and smilingly walked over to the Gryffindor table, his robes slowly shifted, somehow, to show a shock of yellow at the trim. He sat amongst claps and cheers from not just his new House, but every house, and he blushed, the rest of the first years feeling quite surer about themselves as a result.

"Amy Branwin?"

Amy froze up a little at the calling of her name. Marie smiled and patted her shoulder; Amy returned the smile a little weakly and brushed down the front of her robes to get rid of dirt before she put on a show of false confidence and walked up to the stool. She sat, and was judged; shortly, the hat yelled out "Slytherin!"

Amy took a moment to catch eyes with Marie, Gladys, and, wherever he was sitting in the Gryffindor table, Stanley; then she casually sat at the Slytherin table amongst cheers and whoops of celebration.

Marie couldn't catch many other names as they were called, except when she was called up. She hesitantly sat on the stool, and all of a sudden

_everything is black_

_why_

_what's going on_

_who are you_

_I can feel you_

_In my head_

_Who_

_Why_

**I am the hat**

**I decide your place in this castle**

**You show most your intelligence**

_Your voice, sir, it hurts_

_So loud_

_Booming_

_Don't I…_

_I have other qualities…_

**Yes**

**Compassion shows through as well**

**It is evenly split**

**I am sorry to be made so loud**

_It's not… I am okay_

_What of bravery?_

_Cunning?_

**I see these four in all**

**Cunning and Bravery I see in you**

**But not as much as the others**

**You would do best as a 'Claw**

_Who are they?_

**Your other selves, the ideas of them**

**What you might be in any of the Houses**

**Slytherin is so faint**

**You can barely see her**

**Bravery is there but she is ill in those robes**

**She cannot be brought out by force you see**

_I can barely see any of them_

_Shadows in blackness_

**It is that way for all**

**None can see their inner self truly**

**It would disrupt and corrupt**

_I… think I understand_

_Am I to pick?_

**No**

**You do not pick**

**But your decisions give lie to your self**

**It helps to see your fit**

**Compassion, or Intellect? **

**Not just one, but your define**

**Would you rather know, or care?**

_Compassion or Intelligence?_

_I… it is hard._

_Am I making anyone wait?_

**No**

**They are not aware**

**This is but a heartbeat to them**

_I… I want… I want to know, so that I may care._

_I wish to be smart. _

_I want to make my intelligence a weapon… or a salve._

**I understand**

**I am the Hat**

**I see what your soul cries for**

**I do not choose wrongly**

**I have chosen**

_"Ravenclaw!"_

Marie felt herself ripped out of the ethereal dimension she had been in, her pupils dilated and her heart pounding, her mind struggling to catch up to the change. The hat had cried out, and she had been separated from it. A part of her mourned the loss of the being that had welcomed her as it had scrutinized her, criticized her. Another part of her was relieved at the loss, welcoming the silence in her mind and the feeling of being free from another's influence again. She stumbled unsteadily to her feet, feeling drunken, like the one time her parents had let her try wine with supper and she'd sneaked an extra glass.

"Well, go on, dear," Professor McGonagall murmured, and she cast her gaze towards the blue on blue crest of the Raven, and remembered what her parents had bought her for a pet years ago, what she had been sent with.

With jellified legs and a light head, almost incapable of hearing the applause due to the pounding in her ears, she sat at the Ravenclaw table, wondering if anyone else had experienced such a thing. To her right, a blonde whispered that she had been the same way, and that she liked Marie's hair. Faintly smiling, Marie only managed to recover in time to see Gladys become a Hufflepuff.

Then there was a short announcement from the Headmistress about the school rules and the Forbidden Forest, and the feast began. Food from every culture imaginable, and any kind from all those cultures, was found scattering the many House tables. Marie shyly helped herself to some Shepherd's pie and ate lightly, still a bit shell-shocked by meeting the hat. She felt an odd tugging from her core, a good, playful insistence, and recognized that the good luck potion hadn't worn off. Halfway through the meal, she quietly approached Professor McGonagall at the Staff table and apologized for bothering her, asking politely if she could go to her dorm early due to an upset stomach.

Professor McGonagall smiled understandingly and quietly signaled to a Ravenclaw prefect to come over.

"This is Penny, Penny, Marie. Could you show her to the dorms? She's feeling unwell, and she won't be missing anything by waiting for the feast to end."

"Of course, Professor," Penny smiled. "Come on, then, Marie. I might as well give you a mini-tour on the way, point out the usual spots of interest."

"I'd appreciate that," Marie said with a smile in return. "Just so long as we don't have to explore the castle."

Penny led her to the staircases and, amidst the constant shifting, pointed out which floors belonged to which classes and which common rooms were located on which floors. She told her about the Room of Requirement as well, and taught her about which staircases to avoid and why. As they approached the Ravenclaw common room, she asked Marie to try to find it and open it herself.

They were in a corridor with an interesting statue of a lady, and when Marie glanced behind it she saw a door. She knocked on it lightly using the eagle-shaped knocker, and was startled when she heard a voice and the knocker started twitching into life.

"Always thirsty, never drinking

All in mail never clinking,

Alive without breath,

Cold as death,

What am I?"

Marie stared at the knocker for a few minutes, mind blank, before her mind raced back to an old book she'd read once. It seems that whoever came up with this riddle had enjoyed some muggle literature at one point, she decided.

"You're a fish. Why do you look like an eagle if you're a fish?"

The knocker giggled, said "Why indeed?" and opened wide for her.

Penny grinned at her. "Not often does a first year get it to answer back! You have tickled its funny bone, my friend," she announced, lightly guiding Marie to enter into the circular, cerebrally and functionally decorated common room. It was empty, although Penny told her this didn't happen often, so she should enjoy it. There were books all over the walls in bookcases that seemed built in; there were puzzles and puzzle-themed games strewn everywhere (in a non-messy way, of course). It was a thinker's dream come true, and a part of Marie rejoiced in it, but another part of her felt that she should head straight to the bookcase.

Penny glanced at the clock on the wall and cursed lightly under her breath.

"Cripes, I've got to get back to the feast, it's almost over. Make yourself at home, feel free to take any of the books, but if you keep them for longer than a month or two they'll snap at you, so if you put them in your trunk don't forget they're there. If they start snapping, just give them a good thought-out reason for having them so long and apologize, and if the portraits talk to you, be polite—they have a lot of grand advice and helpful tips, and if you miff one of them the rest will catch wind of it."

Marie thanked Penny for her help and drifted to the bookcase, running her fingers along the spines of random tomes until one, oddly stuck out, snagged her fingers on it. She pulled it out decisively and read the title to herself.

"_Familiars and Wizards, a Guide to the Puzzles of Sharing Magic_."

She held it in her arms, and scanned the rest of the books. A couple more caught her eye. '_Wands and their Wizards, Exploring the Bond', 'Mastering your Magic', 'Wandless Magic and How to Learn it', 'Wordless Magic and What it Entails', 'Housekeeping Spells and Their Limitless Uses', _and_ 'Spells You Need to Know' _all stood out against the rest of the seemingly boring titles. Feeling good about her choices, she went upstairs to the boy's dormitory by accident, only to find that there was someone else in the dorm still.

"Why, hello," an Irish third-year chuckled along with one of his two friends. "Come to have a pre-term party? Heard about the famous A trio, eh?"

"Sod off, Adrian, she's clearly a first year. She's way too young to even be thinking about."

"Yeah... I wasn't thinking. I didn't realize, I mean what first year comes up into the boy's dorm? Usually they're all too scared."

"I'm sorry about that," said the boy to Adrian's right, the one that had spoken up about his behavior. "I'm Aeryck."

"And I'm Anton," said the third, his accent decidedly Russian. "Think of Aeryck as the looks. I'm the brains, and Adrian is the brawn of this equation."

"Well," Marie began, a bit thrown off by the strange way she'd initially been greeted, only to shrug it off. It was plausible at least that first-years were indeed too shy or fearful to venture into the male dorms unless it was an accident. "It's, um, nice to meet you?"

"Welcome to the crew, Marie, if you feel like having us as friends," Aeryck invited.

"We don't really have many friends," Anton mentioned, "most of the people here our age are just shallow and rude, but if you're a first-year there's no way you've heard any of the rumours yet. Means we can rely on you being for real."

"We've got a neat little trick, want to see it in our common room in about ten minutes?" Aeryck asked, tempting over to the 'dark side', so to speak.

Something told her it was a good idea, and she shrugged and told them she'd be back in five as she left to cache her books in her trunk.


	3. Time to Waste

**Author's Note**: I don't often leave notes here, but the first two chapters have been revamped slightly. If you read those chapters before this one was posted, please look them over again in case you may have missed out on something important. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to review; as often as I can, I'll respond via messages to avoid cluttering the story with author notes. I apologize for this chapter being shorter than the last, although I suppose it IS a consequence of updating every couple days rather than a week or so, and I should probably slow down; in the future I may rewrite this to make it better. For now I'm mostly focusing on getting it all out to a certain standard and having the story completed, although I am doing a few revamps of chapters now and then, especially if there are errors.

**Chapter 2:**

**Time to Waste**

It was with a calm air that Marie followed her instincts back down to the common room to meet with Aeryck, Anton, and Adrian again. They had something strange in the room, and she wasn't quite sure where they'd gotten it. They looked a bit different, too, almost like they were more similar, and when they spoke she realized they didn't have accents anymore.

"Sorry, we forgot we were still wearing our glamours earlier," said Anton.

"Yeah, we're really triplets. But we like to confuse everyone that doesn't already know for fun."

"Really? How do you cast Glamours?" Marie asked curiously, and they chuckled and one of them ruffled her hair, saying only that they might teach her… in due time.

"In the meantime," Aeryck said, "We have a special gift we want to share with you. It used to belong to Harry Potter's dad and his three friends, but it was passed down to Harry's adoptive brothers Fred and George, then to Harry, then back to his adoptive brother Fred, after George died, as a keepsake of their adventuring days. When we started apprenticing Fred in his shop, he gave it to us."

"Yeah," Anton chimed in. "Said it wasn't worth having if it wasn't being put to use, and it wasn't any use in Diagon Alley."

Marie looked at the scrap of parchment curiously, noting the grand declaration printed on it that four individuals with strange names were proud to present…. something, and shrugged. "What's the big deal?"

"Well, you say 'I solemnly swear I am up to no good', which Adrian did while tapping it lightly with his wand.

Marie gaped as it drew on itself, promoting the Marauder's Map, and then opened to reveal the innards of the castle, including people and a few tunnels which seemed to go off the page. Several of them seemed to have a small pile of rubbish drawn in halfway through.

"We've already memorized the tunnels we need," Anton declared,

"Although we'll probably need to borrow it back if we plan anything big, so we can keep a lookout more easily," Adrian continued.

"We've been waiting for a fourth, like with the original Four," said Aeryck.

Marie grinned. "You guys keep hold of it; but let me know if you plan anything interesting, so I can tag along. We can be the next generation of Marauders, if you like; but I made promises to meet with my friends at least once a week, so any plans to include me are much welcomed, but I would love having a bit of warning first so I can make sure I've got schoolwork and my friends seen to."

"Perfect," Aeryck said happily. "Mischief managed," he whispered to the map, which promptly went blank and was stuffed into his pocket. "Best not to have it out more than we need to, in case prying eyes see it."

"I support that idea whole-heartedly," Marie agreed. "And this is a great trick—and it more than makes up for the initial insult. You've got yourself a friend, boys, and you better tell me if you get in trouble so I can help you out with alibis and such. We should have code-names and strategies, too, just to be safe."

"'Course," said Anton, "But that'll come another time. People are starting to head to their dorms, now, and I think it'd be cool to show you the Kitchens before they get back."

"Brilliant," said Marie. "In fact, I feel like going outside, too. Is that okay?"

"We have about three hours till curfew, so yes. But try to stay safe, alright?"

"Of course. Hey, you can keep an eye on me with our little secret if you're worried. My ma gave me some luck though, so I think I'll be alright. It hasn't worn off yet."

Anton gazed at her wide-eyed for a moment. "Huh. Your family must be pretty well off to have had enough to buy that potion for you. Or else your family must know some wizarding relatives willing to gift you some. Well, we'll check on you anyway. Come along, now. The Kitchens are near the Hufflepuff common room, you just need to tickle the pear."

They soon finished with the snack of custard creams and butterbeer, and Marie personally was amazed by the creatures called House Elves. They were so small and strange looking, but she knew they were kind; she ended up having a long conversation with them about what it's like to be a House Elf, and they appreciated talking to someone that was genuinely interested in their experiences for once.

When the foursome parted ways, Marie headed down the stairs and headed for the door to the school, only to bump into a very large man right outside. He had a light peppering of grey in his beard, but he was clearly still young by his standards.

"Well, hullo there," He said, peering down at her. She remembered him from before the Sorting ceremony.

"Hello… Hagrid, was it? Professor Hagrid?"

"Yeah, tha's me," Hagrid responded, seeming a little blustered about having been referred to by his title. "Jus' call me Hagrid. Didja need anythin'?"

"I… wanted to see if there were any creatures this year," she announced. "I love animals, and I've never seen any magical ones yet, do you think you could show me? You teach Care of Magical Beasts still, right?"

"Well, tha' I do, and it's good to see someone eager to learn. C'mon then, you can't be out too late but I've got summat beautiful t'show yeh."

"Oh, thank you, Hagrid. I was hoping I'd get a chance to see something today. You're the best!"

Hagrid blushed lightly and, slightly flustered, led the way to his hut on the grounds. In the back garden, fenced off, was a strange creature she didn't know the name of; but that wasn't what he was going to show her. Inside the cabin, on the table, was a 'nest' made of feathers, and a Unicorn foal was curled up in it.

"Oh, Hagrid, it's beautiful!" She cooed, and then asked if she could pet it.

"Yes. But be careful of its other side, if yeh look this one was orphaned and it managed t'cut itself on summat, don't want the wound t'reopen, see?"

Marie nodded and carefully ran her fingertips along the Unicorn's jaw, smiling as it gently leaned into her touch.

"It's 'bout time t'feed it, wanna help?" He offered, and she nodded eagerly, carefully cradling the bottle (which he told her later was filled with goat's milk mixed with butter and some sort of potion to infuse it with nutrients and give the newborn extra strength) in one arm as she held it close to the foal's mouth so it could feed without having to stretch too far. It made adorable little noises similar to what she thought was a Zebra's yipping mixed with a cat's purr as it ate.

"Brilliant," he said when she finished feeding it. "See, it's a bit wary o' me, as I'm so big. It was a real help, feedin' it. Here," he said, and reached to the rafters of his hut, from which hung several long, long, silvery iridescent hairs. He took a great handful and stuffed it gently in a small pouch, along with a few feathers from the nest. "A momento, if'n y'will."

Marie accepted it gratefully and gave the large man as best a hug as she could. "They're beautiful, Hagrid. What are they?"

He looked at her, as though surprised she didn't know, and muttered that they were Unicorn hairs.

"Why, that's just like my wand," she exclaimed. "Twelve inches, Cedar, Unicorn hair and dragon heartstring core," she recited from memory. "Flexible but sturdy."

"Tha's a good wand, bound tightly to yeh a' course bein' Unicorn hair, consistent magic, an' it'll help yeh learn powerful spells more easily," he told her. "Now, it's time to get back to the school. Yeh've only got about an hour left till lights out, and your schedule'll be given to you either today or tomorrow. Do you need any help gettin' back t'the school?"

"No, thank you, Hagrid," she said, "I'd much rather know that this lovely young one is safe with you watching over it. I remember the way; I'll be fine. See you tomorrow, I hope?"

"'Course," Hagrid said, "You're welcome here anytime you aren't busy."

Marie smiled and waved and headed out of the hut. Once it was out of sight, however, she veered to the left, towards the Forest. There was a slight trail visible, after all.

She saw a pair of eyes staring at her from the foilage, and called out hesitantly.

"Hello?"

The next thing she saw was a person… she thought. They were human looking, just tall… until she stepped out of the tall bushes and grass. She wasn't human; she had a person's torso, lightly swathed in a gauzy material to cover her chest, and the lower half of a horse.

"Hello, Marie. The stars told me you'd be here soon. I came to warn you not to enter."

"W… what?" Marie spluttered. "How… how did you know I was here? How did you know my name? Were you spying on me?"

"No," the centaur assured her. "Only know that this forest is not safe. It is not safe at the best of times, but now… now, it is full of predators and enemies. I came to warn you; the warning has been given. If you ever come into this forest, turn back as soon as possible, do not leave the trails the Forest-Master Hagrid has made, and do not enter lightly. Stay clear, stay safe."

As Marie watched, open-mouthed, the centaur headed away, pulling the gauzy scarf off and dropping it as she went. Without any idea why, Marie picked it up and put it in her pouch; then, she ran back to her dorm, speechless, and wondering what the bloody hell was going on that she had been warned away by something… no, someone… so very otherwordly. Also, she thought, why had Hagrid been referred to as the Forest Master?

Either way, it was not worth entering the forest, which she blurted to her triplet friends as soon as she got back and could have a private conversation with them. They were also a bit surprised that she had met a centaur, but agreed that if a centaur had told her not to enter, she should probably pay attention. Centaurs were the only reliable source of future sensing the wizarding world had aside from True Seers, and those were hard to find at the best of times. Besides, they rarely said things without fully meaning them.

Then, Marie pulled out one of the Unicorn hairs and showed it to the trio. They gaped at her like fish and asked where she'd gotten it; she didn't say, only that she'd found a pouch of them near the forest when she saw the Centaur, and that it must have been good luck striking again. They agreed, and told her that they were worth at least twelve galleons each. That was enough, they said, if she sold the whole lot that she'd get at least four hundred as there were at least thirty of them in there. Thinking about that, she should probably send them to her parents to put them in Gringotts or something for her.

Marie thought about it, and nodded. "Any idea where my Raven might be kept?"

"You have a Raven?" Anton asked, while Adrian said "In the rookery, come on," and started leading the way there. When they finally got to the rookery, she saw rows upon rows in the gigantic room filled with roosting owls and other avian pets. There were more than a few podiums with spare parchment and quills laying about; she used one to write a note telling her mum that each hair sold for twelve galleons, that she should sell at least ten, and that the rest should please be put into the vault at Gringotts for safekeeping along with the scarf if she could do that. Once she was done, she noted how many Unicorn hairs were left, pulled out twelve, and gave two each to the boys (who promptly protested but ended up giving in and accepting the gifts), and wrote down how many hairs were in the pouch (she was sending home about thirty of them) for her mum's benefit as well as to make sure none were somehow stolen. The extra six she put in her pocket for her other friends.

Then, with the small pouch securely fastened with the message inside, she sought out her Raven.

"Oh, there you are, Maen," she cooed.

"Hello, Marie," it responded in the strange, almost human voice that ravens use. Her friends were shocked that it spoke, and Marie laughingly explained that with time, any human could teach any raven to speak, more or less, and that while hardly anyone took the time or had pet ravens, it was really quite common amongst muggles that did own a raven. It seemed that being in a magical place boosted its intelligence and ability to speak, though, and Marie pet him in that place under his beak that she knew he loved.

"Could you do me a favour and take this home to mum? Our newer home, I mean, the one in Britain near Diagon Alley. Please do your best to make sure nobody else touches it; it's valuable and I really don't want to lose it."

"Okay, Marie," he chirped, and fondly nipped her finger before allowing the small pouch to be hung around his neck and tightened so that it wouldn't fall off before taking wing through the open window. She watched him go with an air of contentment before hearing a curse behind her.

"What is it, Anton?"

"We're late, curfew just started. Let's hurry back before they start making rounds."

Marie nodded and rushed after the trio, thankfully managing not to get caught after hours.


End file.
